I recently decided that my mini-14 is a piece o'crap, so I've decided to trade it in at the original store I bought it from. The problem now is what to get. The gun needs to use .223 ammo (have alot already) and be affordable. I am thinking of a Bushmaster AR-15 but really no nothing of the gun (used to be anti-gun in my pre-y2k life). Is this a good choice? Is there a specific model I should get? What price would be reasonable (I think the guy who sold me the mini- is going to try to sell me the AR-15 at retail because he kind of has me by the balls :(), and lastly, what type of magazines should I buy? (my main problem with the Ruger was that NONE of the mags I tried ever worked well). Thanks ALOT in advance!

-Orson

-- Orson Wells (wells@whitebulb.com), November 23, 1999

Answers

I have owned a mini-14 and loved the weapon. It shoots fast and was very reliable. Are you using factory mags? I had the 30 round plastic that never gave me a problem. I shoot 1000's of 223 with the plastic and never had a problem one. Dont get into a big hurry to take a loss on the mini-14. If your problem is in the feeding system, try this with your current mags. When you load up, be sure to slap the back of your mag onto your leg. This will force all the rounds to the rear of your magazine. If this does not work, take the mini to a knowledgeable gun smith and have him look at the reciever. To answer your question about the AR-15, its a good weapon also. Tends to jam up after 60 or so rounds through it if you have it in full auto. The forward assist will help this problem out. My weapon of choice for home protection is the Mossburg 12 Gauge, with OO buck, magnum. A 9 round chamber is plenty. The 223 will pass through people at close range so be sure what is behind the target is not your family or your good neighbors. For a 200 plus range shoot, the 223 works well, but practice.

-- Shooter (Expertshot@target.com), November 23, 1999.

Orson,

I may be wrong on this but I believe the Bushmaster is around $700. It is a good gun. I have an AR15 which I purchased from a local for $550, cash, no paperwork. It is accurate enough but not a match for my custom 22 at 100 yards.

Get yourself some pre ban 30 round clips. I have three which I purchased from an Army / Navy store. Keep in mind that most AR15 type rifles are not extremely accurate unless you enhance them with better sights. They are grunt guns but also fun to shoot.

I have the AR15 because we live in the country and there is just one of me who might have to face several of them. Having several loaded 30 round clips would help to even the odds.

In order to lessen the odds of having to use a gun in self defense we have several dogs and also guard birds. We also look poor something that comes easy for us, especially after preping for Y2K.

-- Ed (ed@lizzardranch.com), November 23, 1999.

I have a Bushmaster AR-15 and, though I've only put around 100 rounds through it so far, like how it handles and its accuracy. I bought mine through a friend who is a dealer for $850 and have seen them for that much in a store in Shippenburg PA called The Walking Quail, if you live in the south central PA area. I've seen the same rifle for $1100 in a local store, so prices vary widely. Mags are abundandtly available in 10, 20, 30 and even 40 rds.

-- Usedtobe (antigun@preY2k.com), November 23, 1999.

Orson,

One of my best friends is an FFL... E-mail me and we will talk privately...

e-mail address is real....

snoozin'...

The Dog

-- The Dog (dogdesert@hotmail.com), November 23, 1999.

If you're having problems with jamming, switch to Orelite magazines.

They are made of a special polymerized plastic in Israel and are considered to be quite good.

You dealer should have some on hand and get him to take it out for you and test fire it, until he is satisfied.

-- snooze button (alarmclock_2000@yahoo.com), November 23, 1999.

---go ahead, get the -15, just ANYTHING BUT COLT! buncha boot licking sycophants....grumble.......Bushmaster good company, real good products.......650 greenspans is adequate, more is someone's pickup payment you are making.......

p.s. glad you aren't "polly" on self defense anymore. it's a heavy responsibility. train well, and think even harder. what can be done, might not be able to be un-done.

dos pistolas

-- zog (zzoggy@yahoo.com), November 23, 1999.

I Agree with Zog:

In my pre-family days I was an infantryman with the Canadian Army. We used FN-C7s (slightly different than an M16-A2) with incredible accuracy, a very good weapon.

AR-15s are good kit. Keep 'em surgically clean and learn your immediate action drills (load/charge/unload/stoppages/etc.)

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT AND RESPONSIBILITY TO DEFEND YOUR FAMILY FROM IMMINENT DANGER. YOU WILL ANSWER TO GOD FOR YOUR ACTIONS.

Steady up, wait for it.

-- (Kurt.Borzel@gems8.gov.bc.ca), November 23, 1999.

Folks,

No offense, but consider this, please. There is a little nest of nasty ankle biters from the hive who are dedicated to disrupting this forum. They are hatching their childish little secret plots from their command de-bunker in a newly coordinated effort. Multiple threads have been started recently asking for specific technical advice about weapons. These threads are begun by names that have not been previously seen on this forum. So, the question is this: If you were a first-time poster to this forum, would the first thread you ever began be about mini-14's, 233 ammo and Bushmaster AR-15's?

Maybe. Probably not. But, to give these posters the benefit of the doubt (even though they're not usually heard from again after starting these weapon threads), perhaps someone could just give them a link to a bulletin board more specifically for these kinds of questions?

-- (TrollPatrol@pop.gun), November 23, 1999.

good info here

http://forums.ar15.com/cgi/Ultimate.cgi?action=intro&BypassCookie=true

-- prepped (bbbbb@bbbb.net), November 23, 1999.

Good evening. The only weakness of the AR15 is in the magazines. Keep them clean and load a couple of rounds less than the mag calls for (27/28 in the "30" round mag and 18 in the "20" round mag. In two tours in Vietnam as a LRP team leader and one as an advisor, I had only one malfunction. This was caused by sand in the magazine. With the rifle itself, cleanliness is definately next to godliness, but this is a good habit to have with all weapons. Another plus to the AR15 is the wide variety of guns that can be built using one lower receiver and several barrels, upper receivers, and stocks. Enjoy. Good luck in the coming times.

Michael

-- michael frazier (mfrazier@pacific.net), November 24, 1999.

I Agree with Mike. What do you want for your rifle? Do you want a general purpose AR? Or are you in the long distance mode? Is weight a factor? How bout compactness? Because of the 30 or so years the rifle has been around, one can pick and choose how you want to have your AR set up. While the bushmaste is a decent weapon, it does not come with a bayonet lug, or flash suppressor as standard items. Now depending on the precepts of "Theme VS Form", you can gauge what you would like to have.

I myself built my own AR utilizing a bushmaster lower, DPGI internals, Colt 4 point collapsable stock, and a .Mil issue M-4 16in. barreled Upper w/custom bolt and National Match Sights. This is what I'd want in a bugout, or in my vehicle. Also, living in and urban area, it doesn't draw much attention when I'm going to the range in it's little carry bag. Short and sweet as they say. But by the same account I have an Armalite 20' upper and full length stock to convert over to the standard service rifle. Just remember, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO BUILD YOUR OWN WEAPON FROM A KIT unless you are a competantly-trained gunsmith!!! The mating of the barrel and headspace are crutial and improperly done will blow you and the rifle up!! Also remember that spare parts are worth their weight in gold.

-- Billy-Boy (Rakkasan@yahoo.com), November 24, 1999.

Why bother with a finicky AR?? Go out and get yourself a very battle proven, rugged AK. They can be had in the .223 variety--Polytech, Hungarian, and several others for under 1000 bucks. I have a Yugo folder in .223 (very scarce) that I picked up a few yrs back for about 600 dollars and has proven itself very reliable. By the way, mags of several different capacities are readily available and at very reasonable prices--10 bucks for a 30 rounder.

-- av8r (jetav8rx@theglobe.com), November 24, 1999.

AK=Heavy firepower. and I mean heavy. Too damned heavy. Odd shaped 30rnd mags that don't fit standard pouches. Heavy ammo too. 1 30 rnd ak mag fully loaded equals 2 30 round m-16 mags in wieght. Yes, ak's more rugged, but way too heavy for my liking.

-- Billy-Boy (Rakkasan@yahoo.com), November 24, 1999.

As a former M16 Range OIC instructor (marksmanship, auto fire and aerial target engagement) expert marksman, I have one question.

Why the hell would you buy an AR-15?

Semiauto only, damn near uselesss for hunting. Near useless for personal protection without full auto.

Secretary's deceased husband used to bwe responsible for personal protection in the CIA. He once told me the best weapon in the world for protection is a pump shotgun. You don't have to aim, just point, and every bad guy in the world knows the sound so you usually don't have to use it.

-- ng (cantproviddeemail@none.com), November 24, 1999.